This invention relates generally to wireless control devices and, more particularly, relates to a wireless control device having integrated mouse and remote control capabilities.
Wireless mice are well known in the art as a means for providing cursor manipulation and selection input to personal computers. However, as personal computer (“PC”) functionality expands into home entertainment applications, such as exemplified by PCs using Microsoft's Windows Media Center Edition software, a need has also developed for the provision of remote control functionality in conjunction with personal computers. FIG. 1 illustrates such a Media Center Edition PC product 100 (prior art) which is supplied with both a mouse 102 and a remote control 104. Although not illustrated in FIG. 1, it is anticipated that such PCs will be interfaced to home entertainment appliances such as televisions, satellite set top boxes, etc., to eventually become an integral part of an overall home entertainment system. In such cases universal remote control functionality, i.e. the ability to control multiple consumer entertainment appliances of different types and different manufactures, will also be a desirable feature in a remote control supplied with such a PC.
As a result of this convergence of PC and home entertainment equipment a need thus exists for a hand-held user input device which combines the control functionalities required for both PCs and home entertainment appliances. Unfortunately, the requirements for each of these classes of device are different. Control of a PC is best effected via a “mouse” used to manipulate a cursor and make selections. Mouse-generated x-y positioning input is, however, not easily adapted to operation of conventional entertainment equipment, for which a button-oriented remote control is better suited. Furthermore, many wireless mice operate using RF transmission to avoid line-of-sight issues when operated from a cluttered surface, in contrast to most entertainment equipment remote controls which are intended to be picked up and pointed at the controlled apparatus, and thus generally use IR as a transmission medium.
Accordingly, a need exists for a control device having integrated mouse and remote control capabilities which thus combines the control functionalities required for both PCs and home entertainment appliances.